sacred valley servce program highlights · day 8: urubamba river whitewater rafting our rafting...

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS• DiscovertheWonderandBreathtakingVistasof

MachuPicchu

• AssistinaSustainableDevelopmentProjectinaRemote

QuechuaVillage

• LeadActivitiesandMentorStudentsataPrimarySchool

• WhitewaterRafttheExhilaratingUrubambaRiver

• WalkintheFootstepsofIncasintheFamedSacredValley

• ExperienceAge-OldTraditionsofPeruvianCulture

• WandertheCobblestoneStreetsofCusco

• 30HoursofCommunityService

Spotlight Project: Sustainable Development Project

This year we have been presented with a unique opportunity to assist a rural Peruvian community in creating a mi-

crobusiness to increase revenue for their village. Through this project, we will learn about local sustainable develop-

ment through guinea pig farming and building a greenhouse. Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and

culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and we get a first-hand

look at how this method creates a sustainable environment in the local community. Guinea pig, locally known as

‘Cuy,’ is a staple in the Peruvian diet. We donate breeding guinea pigs and construct their cages, enabling families to

raise them for consumption and revenue. We also fund and assist the community in building a greenhouse to allow

for a longer growing season, which will be a source of income and food throughout the year. This project allows us

unique access to village homes and a culture very different from ours. With this new project, we are continuing our

commitment to being a part of the growth of these Peruvian communities!

ARCCPrograms|Peru:SacredValleyService

Days 1 - 2: Travel to Cusco

ParticipantsmeetattheMiamiInternationalAirport(MIA)inMiami,Florida.Afterabrieforientation,weboard

ourovernightgroupflighttoCusco,Peru,ahigh-altitudecitynestledatover11,000feetintheAndesmountain

range.Accommodations: Overnight Flight

SACRED VALLEY SERVCE

Day 3: Cusco Exploration

AfterabrieflayoverinLima,welandinCuscoandsettleintoouraccom-

modation.Soonafter,wetakethedaytoexplorethishistoriccapitalofthe

IncaEmpire.Wewanderaroundthetraditionalartisanmarkets,experience

ourfirsttasteofPeruvianfood:delicioussoups,potatoes,yucca,andspicy

peppersanddiscoverthemanyhiddenplazasandsidestreetswithcolorful

balconiesoverhead.Wegettoknoweachotherthroughgames,activities,

andicebreakersandintroducetheroleof“LeaderoftheDay,”anessential

componentofeveryARCCprogram.Accommodations: Hostel

Day 4: Travel to Patabamba

Today,webeginour journey into theheartof theSacredValleyandget

acquaintedwiththelocalcultureinPisac,hometothelargestfortress-city

complexoftheIncas.WetakeinthefascinatingruinsincludingtheTemple

of the Sun and other religious, agricultural andmilitary structures. Later

weventureintothecenturies-oldPisacmarketfullofcolorfultextilesand

vibrantpeople.Thiseveningwesettle into thesmallcommunityofPata-

bambawhereourSustainableFarmingProjectbeginstomorrow.Accom-

modations: Schoolhouse

ARCCPrograms|Peru:SacredValleyService

Day 8: Urubamba River Whitewater Rafting

OurraftingadventuredowntheUrubambaRiver isanexcitingdayof

playintheSacredValleyoftheIncas.Westartthedaygettingoutfitted

withallofthenecessarysafetygearandcompleteoursafetybriefings

from the riverguides. We then jump inour rafts andexperience the

thrillofconqueringClass IIIandIVrapids! Wehavelunchatascenic

spot along the river and explore the surrounding land. Accommoda-

tions: Hostel

Days 5 – 7: Spotlight Project: Sustainable Farming Project

Thismorningweawakeinthesmallruralcommunitylocatedontheplains

ofthePampadeAntaregion.Surroundedbyawe-inspiring,glacier-

cappedmountains,thisvillageishometoaboutfiftyQuechuafamilies.

TheQuechualiveofftheland,dedicatingthemselvestofarming,sheep

andcattle-herding,andcultivatingnativecrops.Werelishtheopportunity

toexperiencetheeverydaylifeoftruedescendantsoftheIncasandwe

arewelcomedintothecommunitywithopenarms.Werollupoursleeves

tohelpcommunitymemberscreatetheirmicrobusiness.Allourefforts

willgreatlyimprovetheirabilitytomakeanincomeandprovidefortheir

families.Duringdowntime,wemayswiminthelakeorteachinformal

Englishlessons.

Aftersuccessfullycompletingourproject,wesaygoodbyetothisincredi-

blywarmandwelcomingcommunity.Wearesadtogobutthankfulforthe

positiveandlastingimpactweleavebehindonthecommunity.Wetravel

backtoCuscowherewehaveachancetotakehotshowers,relax,and

prepareforourwhitewaterraftingadventuretomorrow.Accommodations:

SacredValley–Schoolhouse/Cusco–Hostel

Day 9: Zig-Zag Train to Aguas Calientes

TodaywedescendintotheSacredValleytoOllantaytambo,oncetheroyal

estateoftheninthInca,Pachacuti,oneofthemostimportantIncarulersbe-

causeofhisroleinexpandingtheIncaEmpirethroughoutSouthAmerica.

Ollantaytambostillretainstheoriginalstreetplanandfoundationsdesigned

bytheIncas.WeexplorethecobblestonestreetsandobservetheFortress

andremainsofthesuntemple,takingtimetosoakinthelocalculture.In

theafternoon,weboardourtrainheadedforAguasCalientes,asmallvillage

andentrypointtoMachuPicchu.Wetakeinthebeautyofthefamouszig-

zagtrainroute,gazingthroughtheexpansivewindowsthatextendover-

head.UponourarrivalinAguasCalientes,weenjoydinnerandrestbefore

ourfulldayinMachuPicchutomorrow.Accommodations: Hostel

ARCCPrograms|Peru:SacredValleyService

Day 10: Machu Picchu

Our day begins aswewatch the sunrise overMachu Picchu, one of the

mostbreathtakingscenesintheworld!Afterlotsofphotographs,webegin

ourguidedtourofMachuPicchutogetaninsider’slookatthisremarkable

UNESCOWorldHeritagesite.Welearnabouttheancientcivilizationofthe

Incasandrevelinthestructuresmadefrompreciselyplacedstones.Asone

oftheNewSevenWondersoftheWorld,MachuPicchu’smajestytakesus

backintimeaswestepintotheTempleoftheSunandcrawlthroughend-

lessstonepassageways.Thisonce-in-a-lifetimeexperienceprovidesuswith

anewfoundbaseofIncaculture,knowledgeandtraditions.Afterafullday,

weboardourtrainbackintotheSacredValleyandenjoybeautifulviewsof

theAndes.Accommodations: Hostel

Day 11: Sacred Valley

Weexploremoreof theSacredValleyand itswonderful treasuresaswe

makeourway toour final serviceproject. Our first stop is at the Inca’s

mysteriouscroplaboratory,Moray.Possiblybuilttostudydifferentclimate

conditionseffectoncrops,theMorayarethreemassiveamphitheatersof

incredibleengineeringprecisionandstern,magnificentbeauty.

After lunch,aneasystroll throughrollingfarmlandandviewsofthehigh

Andesbringsustooneofthebest-keptsecretsintheregion,Salineras,a

still-functioningIncasaltmine.Thissurrealandbeautifulpatchworkofpools

andpathscarvedoutofthesideofan Andean mountain is an incredible

sightyouwon’tsoonforget.LaterintheafternoonweheadtoChinchero,a

quietlittletownknownforitsoutdoorweavingstudios,terracedIncaruin,

andintricately-frescoedcolonialchurch.Wegetagoodnight’srestbefore

divingintoservicetomorrow.Accommodations: Hostel

Want to Learn More? Contact the Regional Director:

Whitney Hall | Regional Director: Peruwhitney@arccprograms.com415-332-5075Ext.251

www.adventurescrosscountry.com

Days 12 – 13: Urubamba Service Project

Forthenexttwodays,wejoininonacommunityefforttotutorelementa-

ryschoolchildreninUrubamba.Justlikethecommunitywiththesustain-

ablefarmingproject,thisareaisonethatwehaveanon-goingrelationship

with.Wespendourdaysworkingatapre-schoolwherewearewelcomed

bylotsofexcitedchildren.Theschoolprovidesahavenofsupportive

teachersandresourcesforthestudents.Webecomementorstothe

childrenasweengageindifferentactivitieslikeEnglishlessons,teaching

physicaleducation,oraconstructionprojecttohelpimprovethecenter,

andtheyinturnleavealong-lastingpositiveimpactonusaswell.

ARCCPrograms|Peru:SacredValleyServicewww.adventurescrosscountry.com|415.332.5075

Day 14: Departure Day

Eventuallyallgoodthingsmustcometoanend.Wewavegoodbyeto

CuscoandbeginourjourneybacktoMiami.OncewearriveinMiami,we

geteveryonetotheirconnectingflightshome.Thememoriesoftheexpe-

rienceandthegroupwillcarryusthroughtonextsummer!